Labor Poll

[shawnandangel]

Well we're still waiting for baby to decide its time to come out. 40 weeks, 5 days and I thought I'd do a fun poll to distract me from waiting waiting waiting!

[shawnandangel]

Oops I meant "my water broke during labor" obviously not my labor broke during labor lol

[SnuggleBuggles]

Ds1- born 42w
I lost my mucus plug during the day at 41w6d. My membranes had been swept the day before so I wonder if it dislodged it.
I woke up to this weird feeling- like pop, pop, pop and a contraction. Since I was awake, I headed to the bathroom. On my way, I noticed leaking. I had never had urine leaking trouble in pregnancy (kegels of steel) so was confused. On my way back to bed, I woke up dh to tell him something weird was going on. As I stood there, my water broke everywhere! Contractions started immediately. Ds1 was born 20 hours later.

Ds2- born 41w5d
At 2pm, I had my membranes swept. At 4pm, while swimming with ds1, I noticed contractions. I kept watching the clock and they were coming steadily. Drove home (the contx didn't hurt). My water didn't break til I allowed them to break it at 7cm (it really sped things up!).

I don't remember bloody show with either.

[kaharris83]

DS1 water broke at 445am when I woke up to use the bathroom. Within an hour the contractions started. He was born at 39w5d about 9 hours after my water broke.

DS2 I woke up to contractions at 445am at 37w5d and he was born less than 4 hours later. They broke my water at the hospital.

I had a little bloody show with both. Both were due on a Monday and both came on a Saturday.

[mommyp]

Both my labors were very similar, except in time of day!
With DD, water broke in bathroom when I was about to get in the shower (convenient!) around lunchtime, contractions started about an hour later, she was born ~8.5 hours after water broke. She was 4 days early.
With DS, my water breaking woke me up in the morning - it was a total shock as he was 11 days early, I really thought I had a few more days! Contractions started about an hour later, he was born ~8 hours after water broke.

[maybeebaby08]

DD1- 41w 1d, took Castor Oil, labor started 9 hours later, DD1 was born 17 hours later. My water never broke, she came out with the waters.

DD2- 41w 2d, took Castor Oil, labor started 6 hours later, had my water broken at 6cms to speed things up ( hated the water gushing, will not do that again!) DD2 born 3 hours later, 9 hours after labor started.

[Mali]

I took castor oil and while it did start labor, it didn't prevent me from needing to be induced (it only started contractions, but i didn't dilate).

I was trying to avoid being induced and so took a castor oil concoction in the late afternoon of the day before I was scheduled to be induced. Induction day was 42w2d by my calcs (used opks that month) and 42w exactly according to my doctor. By 8-9pm I had diarrhea, and at 12:30am we were calling my OB to see if we should go in. My biggest fear of labor throughout my entire pregnancy was an epidural and the stomach cramps/diarrhea on top of contractions were bad enough that I told my husband that if this was what actual labor felt like, I was getting a !$&@ epidural (I didn't end up needing it even with the pitocin. Fear averted!)

Hindsightedly I was an idiot because by taking the castor oil I started labor at midnight when I had been awake since 6am that morning and DD wasn't born until 10:20pm the next night. I was super tired being up for so long. Aside from my panic over being induced and cascading interventions, my labor went well overall, but assuming we are able to have a second child and who also stays to max dates I definitely wouldn't take it again.

[essnce629]

DS1
I induced myself with my castor oil regimen and it worked immediately. I was 38 weeks, 3 days. Contractions started immediately, bloody show started a few hours later, my water broke 9 hours after finishing my castor oil shake, and DS1 was born 10 minutes later in two contractions. The first 8 hours of contractions were regular, but not painful or uncomfortable at all. No mucus plug.

DS2
I had been having non-stop contractions since 26 weeks due to an irritable uterus. At 38 weeks, 5 days I woke up and had bloody show. Contractions were random all day like they normally were and didn't get regular and uncomfortable till midnight. Took a long bath and then took a nap from 2-4am. Woke up in active labor and called the midwives and got in my birthing tub. At 6am I had the midwives check me and I was already 10cm, but had zero urge to push. After 4 hours of zero urge to push and just waiting for my water to break on it's own, I had my midwives break it for me. Had 20 minutes of intense contractions after that then DS2 was born in 2 contractions just like DS1 was-- head, then body.


I feel like the castor oil cuts out all the prodromal and irregular labor and puts you right into active labor. DS1's labor was short and sweet, while DS2's just seem to start soooo slowly and drag on forever. Technically my active labor with DS2 was still way shorter and easier than most women's but it just seem to take so long to get things going.

[essnce629]

Oops, double post!

[citymama]

EPO did not work for me
Stripping membranes did (w/ dd1, spontaneous labor w/ dd2)
both evening onsets pf labor, early morning (4 am-ish) drives to hospital
the midwife had to break my water bag during labor w/ dd1, it broke on its own during dd2 labor, when i was at 10 cm!

[queenmama]

DS1 water broke at 445am when I woke up to use the bathroom. Within an hour the contractions started.

This was me with DS (baby #1)! Even the time!

I had had my membranes swept on his due date, Friday, after my NST. I can't remember why the midwife did the sweep...? I had been 3cm and 100% effaced for two weeks but wasn't feeling contractions. They estimated he'd be 7.5 lbs, I had no risk factors.

Went to the bathroom at 4:45am on Sunday, lost my mucous plug, contractions started, 5 minutes apart. Didn't leave for the hospital til 7:30, by then the ctx were 2 minutes apart. Got to the hospital by 8, they checked me and I was 7cm. They ended up breaking my water (I wouldn't allow it now, I know better) and he was born at 1:03pm. 9 lbs, 4 oz, 22", head full of dark hair.

With Agnes, I was *maybe* 1-2cm and 75% effaced at my last checkup. On Sunday (she was due the following Thursday) I noticed my pantyliners were wet. Like, really wet. I called in around midday and the MW on duty said to put on a maxi pad (not just a liner) and if it was soaked within an hour, I needed to come in. If not, "it's probably just normal late-pregnancy discharge." I followed her instructions, it was NOT soaked, so I didn't worry about it.

Two days later I was still soaking my pantyliners, and I mentioned this to my stylist as she's cutting my hair. We decided I should just go get checked since I'm so close to my midwife's office. It was amniotic fluid, and they wanted to induce since I was GBS+. I went home to get DH and pack my bag.

I got to the hospital to be induced at 5pm on Tuesday but I refused pitocin. We tried acupressure to get my labor started, but I was making no progress. I am adamantly against any interventions and still refused pitocin so the nurse brought in the midwife (not MY midwife) to guilt me into it. They started me on a slow drip around 7:00.

I didn't feel contractions for several hours. My nurse pointed at the monitor when it spiked and said I'm a bad ass. (Yeah, I am! I had a giant first baby with no epidural! I got this!) They increased the pit because I was doing well. (This is nothing! I am a beast!) I start feeling the contractions. (This must be how mere mortals feel in labor. Good thing I am a goddess!) Hours pass, a little more pit. (Oh. Okay. I feel that. Ow. Damn. This hurts. OUCH! This REALLY HURTS!!!) I lost focus. I lost all control. It got ugly. It was truly terrible. DH was traumatized, watching me go through that.

In hindsight, I should've gotten an epidural. Honestly, it never crossed my mind. I wasn't trying to be a martyr or prove anything, it simply didn't occur to me. We never discussed it while I was in labor, not until I was crying when it was time to push! haha!

When I was delivering her, they realized she turned, sunny side up, despite having been facedown for weeks. They had to manhandle her to get her shoulders out. At some point her clavicle broke. She was born at 5:36am on Wednesday (full of woe), the day before her due date, at 9 lbs, 20", hair even darker and more plentiful than her brother's, and a deep dimple in each cheek.

Two things you should glean from my insomnia-induced prolix tale:
1. Have a doula. You need an advocate, sometimes your partner isn't enough.
2. If you are induced, you might want to go ahead and get an epidural so you can rest as much as possible and be present in your labor. Or maybe you ARE a goddess and will handle it beautifully! I will be the first in line to bow at your feet!

Lara

[megs4413]

DD1: 38w0d water broke in the morning (10am) after I got out of the shower. I must have been having contractions, but I wasn't feeling them. They started pit around noon in the hospital (I was 2cm) and she was born before 11pm.

DS: 38w4d induction. I had prodromal labor for MONTHS with him. started at 31 weeks and if I walked around, I got into a regular labor pattern, but as soon as they laid me down in the hospital bed to monitor me, the ctx would space out and everything would settle down within a couple hours. I was 3cm, 80% effaced, and DS was at a +2 station by the time they finally induced me (for heart concerns). Pit started at maybe 6pm and he was born at 2 am.

DD2: the induction is scheduled, but I'm hoping she'll be my ONE non-induction. LOL A girl can dream, right?

[BDKmom]

With DS, I lost my mucous plug in several bits over the weekend. Monday afternoon at 4 PM my water broke at work. No contractions. Got to the hospital around 8 PM. Got an epidural before contractions started. Received a low dose of Pitocin around 2 AM because I wasn't progressing. Active labor started around 4 AM. Baby born at 12 PM Tuesday after 20 minutes of pushing.

With DD, I woke up to contractions at 2 AM. By the time I got to the hospital at 4 AM, I was 8 cm dilated. Labor slowed after that. Got an epidural at 6 AM. The dr. waited to break my water so that I could get all my antibiotics for GBS. Dr. broke water around 9:30 AM, DD born around 10:40 AM after ~40 minutes of pushing.

Don't think I had bloody show with either, but I really can't remember. I didn't really do anything to try and get labor started. DS was born the day before my due date. DD was born 4 days before due date.

[chottumommy]

Natural labour both times, no induction or any other method to start labour. No bloody show or any the signs that labour was impending other than contractions. Both babies were born in the caul and water bag broke/was broken both time as they crowned. I had very little pain both times birthing maybe because they were born in the caul. My sister's two girls were also born in the caul and so was my sister (to my mother, I was a C-section).

[AnnieW625]

DD1:
Born at 37w 6d
I think I lost my plug the day before I had her. I remember peeing a lot that day and one time the toilet looked a little merkier than normal for pee being clear (I was drinking a lot of water like normal). I started having what I thought were contractions, but were probably just braxton hicks, but I didn't know the difference since it was my first baby and three days earlier my OB had said I was over 4.5 cm dialated and said I could go into labor at any time between then (37 w 2 d) and my due date two weeks later. I started having the contractions at 7 pm during yoga class and they were pretty constant, but not painful so at 11:30 we went to the hospital. I was measured and my regular OB checked me in right before he went off call. The contractions all but stopped and I was stalled at 5 cm. at 5 am. I chose to have the nurses break my water because the nurse thought it would speed things up. Three hours later I was still stalled so I got some pitocin that worked really well, and labor became really painful then. I somehow got an epidural at 11:30 am (I remember because the Young and the Restless was starting and I was finally starting to calm down), but an hour later at 12:30 pm I started pushing when I was 10.5 cm dialated and I had her an hour later. I was GBS+ so I had to have penecilin as well so I was more than happy to be done by 2 pm so I wouldn't have to start another penecilin drip (the burn from that was painful!).

The total labor was 14 hrs. . I felt horrible when the AM nurse came in and said that the prior nurse should have sent me home vs. convincing me that breaking my water would speed things up. I had been up for 24 hours then so I was completely exhausted and was pretty irritated at the crazy night nurse for not sending me home.

DD2:
38w 6d
I am pretty sure I lost my plug in the shower at the gym the morning that I went into labor.

I had my membranes stripped at 4pm that day (reg. appt.) and my water broke at 11:30 pm. I was barely dialated at all so I got some nubane pain meds. and rested for about 4 hours. The meds wore off about 6 am and I could feel a few more contractions, but they weren't all that painful. I was still only 5 cm dialated at 6:30 am another OB ordered the pitocin and an epidural and I sent DH out for breakfast. By 7:15 though I was closer to 7 or 7.5 cm and the contractions were manageable so I called DH to come back. By 7:45 my OB came in to tell me he was going off call and that I'd probably have the baby by 10 am. Not too long after that the pain was getting to be more intense and the nurse said I wasn't getting the pitocin or the epidural so I told them that after the next round of contractions I wanted to start pushing. I started pushing at 8:10 and she was born at 8:30.

The total labor was 9 hours, although if my water had not broken at home I probably would have been okay at home until around 6 am so really the hard part was only 2.5 hours.

[klwa]

Hmm, let's see

DS: Water broke at 12:15 in the afternoon to kick start labor. I lost my mucous plug a few days before. Total labor 14 1/2 hours.
DD1: Contractions started in the middle of the night. (Literally. It was 12:30am.) I lost my mucous plug a few days before. Doctor broke my water during labor. Total labor 12 1/2 hours.
DD2: Contractions started just before my alarm went off, but I didn't realize they were real ones. Did not lose my mucous plug before. Doctor broke my water maybe half an hour before she was born. Total labor 6 hours.

[megs4413]

Natural labour both times, no induction or any other method to start labour. No bloody show or any the signs that labour was impending other than contractions. Both babies were born in the caul and water bag broke/was broken both time as they crowned. I had very little pain both times birthing maybe because they were born in the caul. My sister's two girls were also born in the caul and so was my sister (to my mother, I was a C-section).

I wasn't even really able to *feel* contractions while my bag was intact. I didn't have really any pain with either DC until after the waters broke and with DS I was in transition by then. i so, so hope I get to labor with my waters intact this time.

[BabyBearsMom]

With DD1 I had a small leak in amniotic fluid that went on for at least a day before I went to the hospital (at 6am) because of the moisture to double check. When I got there they couldn't tell that the fluid had leaked but DD1's heart rate was decelerating so they induced labor which didn't work and I ended up with a C Section. When the doctor took DD1 out he was shocked because I had no amniotic fluid left, in fact so little that he knicked her little head with the scalpel when he was cutting in. She also had a short cord which was causing the heart rate issues.

With DD2 (born at exactly 41 weeks), I was trying to go into labor because I didn't want another c section and they wouldn't induce me. I walked for miles, I took evening prim rose, I did acupuncture and massage. Everything short of castor oil (which my midwife recommended against). Finally I went to the doctor and they said "Nope, you are never going to go into labor, let's schedule the C Section." I whined my way into scheduling it on Friday even though the doctor wanted to do it the next day. That night, I went into labor at about 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. I didn't have bloody show or a noticeable mucus plug. DD2 was almost born in the car (I was 10cm when I got to the hospital and she was born 15 minutes after we arrived.

Good luck. I know that extra week really sucks.

[shawnandangel]

This is all so interesting! It seems like the percentage of BBB moms whose water broke before labor is higher than average. I thought I read somewhere that only about 15% of waters break before labor begins.

[sarahsthreads]

I had three such different experiences I had no idea how to really vote!

DD1: 39 weeks + 2 days
My water broke in the evening, but I didn't go into labor until I went to the hospital and they started the process to induce me (there was meconium in the fluid, so I was told to go in right away). After 12+ hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing, they realized she was poorly positioned and I wound up with a (non-emergency) c-section.

DD2: 38 weeks + 5 days
Woke up in labor in the middle of the night, my water broke shortly before transition, and she was a fast & furious 3.5 hour unmedicated VBAC.

DS: 39 weeks + 3 days
Woke up in labor in the middle of the night, my water broke at home (so sometime before the 5cm I was when I got to triage) with meconium in it, might have had another fast & furious VBAC (was fully dilated less than 2 hours after waking up in labor) but wound up having an emergency c-section because he was in distress.

I never had any real "warning" that I was going into labor with any of them, besides the usual braxton hicks contractions, but those had been going on for weeks...

Sorry you're still waiting, I hope you're snuggling your new little one very, very soon!

Sarah :)

[georgiegirl]

I had 3 very different experiences too.

Dd (40w) was a typical first time labor, long early labor, water broke at 4 cm when I was getting an epi. Lots of pushing.

DS (40w) was super quick and easy, had regular contrax all evening, but not painful. Arrived at hospital at 1;45am at 8 cm. DS born an hour later. Water broke at 10cm.

DS2 (40w +5). Had membranes stripped at 3:30 PM. Water broke 9:35 PM. Contrax were not painful or regular immediately. Went to hospital at midnight (because i was leaking every where and preferred the mess at the hospital) was 4-5 cm. contrax regular but not painful. He wasn't positioned well, so I was stuck at 6 for 2 hours. Did a lot of walking. I went from 8-10 quickly. About 30 min of pushing (he was 1.5 lbs bigger than my others). Born at 5:52am.

[mom2khj]

I didn't do anything to help mine along.

DD1 - contractions woke me up around 6AM, water broke at hospital while I was changing into gown. Born at 12:07 PM.
DD2 - was having contractions that I didn't feel, but knew something wasn't "right". Called doc on way home from work and she met me at hospital and admitted me for observation overnight. I think I was dilated pretty far. In the morning contractions started and I was in full labor, doc had to break my water, I think around 9 or so. Labor slowed some and baby was getting distressed (this is my fuzzy memory of it) so I had one round of pitocin to get things back going again. Born at 12:06 PM.
DS - was breech and expected to be large. Scheduled C-Section for noon on a Wednesday. Took off work Mon/Tue to prepare. Tuesday morning around 4AM, was woken up by water breaking. Contractions started right about the time we were leaving for the hospital. We had already done the pre-admissions stuff so it wasn't long before they took me back. He was born at 6:44 AM.

[Tondi G]

DS1 was 8 to 10 days early ... contractions all afternoon, got stronger and more regular in the evening, went to the hospital at around 2am. Walked around and then was put in a L&D room... labored till early morning. OB broke my water and DS was born in an hour or so at around 8:30am.

DS2 my OB was talking induction because the u/s said he was measuring large (it was so wrong 7lbs 5 oz baby). I had a drug free delivery with DS1 and was not interested in inducing if we didn't need to. I went to my acupuncturist right after my last appointment with my OB. She worked her magic.... I actually took a nap during my treatment. Drove the 25 minutes home and was spotting. contractions were apparent during dinner but very wide spread. I got home and got right into bed and tried to sleep. slept for about 4 hours... woke about 3am to strong contractions. Labored alone till around 5 am, woke DH, called grandma and the OB and headed to the hospital. 5.5cm upon arrival, shortly after my OB's associate came to check me and said my OB was on the way and she said to break my water, before I could say anything he just went ahead and did it (I was pissed) my OB showed up and I was about 9.5 cm. DS was born around 10am.

[BabbyO]

All 3 labors were very similar. I woke between 2-4 am with faint contractions/cramping. The first time, I knew nothing. I was 18 and scared. The second time I had no fear, just started walking because it felt good. I showed up at the clinic fully dilated and fully effaced - they took me to the hospital in an ambulance (which I still think is hilarious since I would have gotten there faster with my Doc or DH!). The 3rd time, at the request of DH and my doc, I went to the hospital shortly after contractions started and had Peanut within 6 hrs of the first signs of labor. My water never broke with any of my kids. The dr had to break it during labor each time. This was a good thing with Stachio, otherwise I probably would have had him at home or on the sidewalk. Once my water is broken delivery occurs within 5-8 min for me, and I can't do that panting breathing where you don't push. The red girl hulk comes out and says, "Hulk girl MUST push. Catch Doctor!" I don't recall bloody show or mucus plug for my first two. With Peanut, I think I slowly lost the plug over the course of the preceding week.